From Panama with Love
by GallaudetLurker
Summary: He was sitting in a loud, crowded bar, enjoying his beer. Then he saw her. KIBBS.
1. From Panama with Love

**A/N:** Here's a backstory based off on that image of Kate that was shown in "Bikini Wax" (2.18), and which Tony used to blackmail her in "Conspiracy Theory" (2.19). Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.

By the way, Kate is 21 years old in this story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS.

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><p><strong>Chapter One:<strong>

From Panama with Love

_By GallaudetLurker_

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><p><em><em>March 1994<em>_

_Panama City Beach, Florida_

Junior Field Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs wondered to himself for the umpteenth time why he had chosen to come here, out of all the possible bars and nightclubs in Panama City Beach.

Perhaps it was the name, Blue Tavern, which had appealed to the Marine inside him and gave the impression that it would somehow be quiet and secluded compared to the others.

How wrong he had been.

Trying to tune out the loud, boisterous gloating of some drunken frat boy to his equally drunk friends nearby about his "conquests" at some university named after some fish – yeah, it was _that_ loud, given that Jethro could somehow hear him over the blaring music – Jethro took a large gulp of his beer, savoring the cold, bitter substance that slithered down his throat.

He wondered what the hell his superior, Mike Franks, was smoking when he'd ordered him to go to Panama City for a task, and it had to fall on a week, out of all the possible weeks in the year, where college students drank, smoked, partied, and copulated their mind and souls away. Nevermind that Panama City was a very popular Spring Break destination, and Jethro's patience had about reached its absolute limit (and that wasn't a lot, given that he was never renowned for patience).

As he scanned over the rows of assorted bottles of beer and wine – organized in alphabetical order, it seemed – arrayed in the shelves of the bar he was sitting at, Jethro surmised that he was partly to blame for putting himself in this situation. He'd finished his work earlier than usual and decided to go out and check the city out in the evening instead of wasting time away in some hotel room.

And not to mention, he kinda felt out of place. He was a thirty-six year-old retired Gunnery Sergeant sitting in a place teeming full of men and women – wait, no, _boys and girls_ – who were barely in their early twenties. He'd thought he could hang out with someone his age, but they were far and between. That did not stop pretty, busty barmaids from flirting with him, however.

He guessed he still got it, even although he was nearly twice the age of the people here.

When the nearby PA loudspeaker blared out over the loud music that a wet T-shirt contest was about to begin, Jethro rolled his eyes as he sipped his beer. Had he been at least fifteen years younger, he would be all over that shit, yelling and whooping in drunken glee like these idiots who were assembled in front of the area where the contest was to be held.

Ignoring the blaring music and the cacophony of gleeful yelling – yes, it was pretty damn loud – Jethro slowly and steadily drank his beer, smiling politely at the flirtatious barmaid who kept batting her eyes at him.

As he slowly rotated his half-empty bottle in his hands, watching the liquid swish around inside it, Jethro decided that he would leave when he finished. The silent solitude of his air-conditioned hotel room was becoming more attractive compared to this blaring cauldron that he was in.

As Jethro casually scanned his surroundings, his eyes widened slightly, his breath caught in his throat, his heart began to constrict, his guts began churning, and his jeans grew tighter.

In the distance, visible through the drunken crowds that had slightly dispersed, was the most beautiful girl – no, _young woman_ – he had ever laid eyes on in his life (Jethro would have to remind himself to head-slap himself for this sentimentality).

She had wavy brown hair that went down to her shoulders, accentuating her heart-shaped face. Her soft lips were curled up in a wide, carefree grin that revealed dimples on her cheeks – and which seemed to light up the crowded bar. He could not see the color of her eyes, but he was sure that they would be the same color as her hair.

That was not the only thing that caught his attention, however. The mysterious brunette was wearing a tight white tank top and panties, which was completely drenched...and she wasn't wearing a bra _at all_. The two peaks that protruded out in her tank top were quite prominent, even from a distance.

Jethro found that no matter what, he could not look away, his eyes glued to the brunette, his mouth watering. For a moment, he really envied these drunken guys who poured pitcherfuls of water over her body, and the photographer who snapped away in front of her. A rational part of his brain loudly berated him for being so juvenile, for openly ogling at a girl who was nearly half his age, but Jethro ignored it, keeping his eyes on her.

Then she looked right at him. Jethro felt a jolt course through his body, and something twitch inside his pants, as his bluish-gray eyes connected with her dark ones.

His brain screamed for him to look away, yet Jethro continued to fearlessly stare at her. The girl's carefree grin had slowly faded away to a shy smile, and her face seemed to become slightly flushed. Jethro felt the ends of his lips curl up in a half-smile.

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><p>She could not stop staring.<p>

Caitlin Todd, known as Kate to her friends, was dimly aware of the flashing lights, the raucous cheering of the drunken jocks and frat boys surrounding her, of the cold water that was being poured over her, of the voice of the judge proclaiming her the winner, as she locked eyes with that handsome man sitting at a bar nearby.

Feeling her face grow warm, her heart flutter, and her stomach churn, Kate felt oddly self-conscious by the intense, scrutinizing gaze of the mysterious man. She had no problem 'exposing' herself in front of possibly hundreds of all these drunken idiots in the first place, so why was she feeling like this now?

She bit her lower lip, her chest heaving slightly, as she took in the man's thick brown hair, his relatively thin yet strong face, his five o' clock shadow, his penetrating eyes, and lips that she suddenly felt the urge to kiss. He seemed to be wearing a casual beige shirt that showed off his masculine chest and chiseled arms.

Arms that she suddenly wished were protectively wrapped around her body...

Kate felt her face grow even warmer, despite the cold water. Her peaks began to get hard – and not only from the water! – and a _certain_ part of her anatomy tingle.

She didn't know why she was feeling, even reacting, this way to this man who she had never met. She had always been attracted to older men, but none had ever made her feel this way like he did, and it didn't particularly help that he was really handsome!

When his lips curled up into a lopsided smile, Kate felt herself get short of breath. Swallowing, she mentally willed herself to take deep breaths as she continued to gaze into the mysterious man's eyes.

"Kate?"

She could imagine that man speaking her name, sounding it out with his tongue. Preferably with butterfly kisses that would leave her wanting for more...

"Kate!"

Kate blinked, the spellbinding gaze shattering as she reluctantly tore her eyes away from him to focus on their concerned friends' – one a brunette and one a blonde – faces.

"Are you ok, Kate? You kinda zoned out there," the brunette Sasha said, with blonde Emily nodding in agreement.

Willing her heart to slow down, and her face to cool down, Kate took a shaky breath and nodded as she stepped away from the stage, shivering slightly from the water – and something _else_ – that were dripping across her soaked body.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, guys," she said a bit absentmindedly as she inadvertently looked around the crowded bar in the general direction where the man with the piercing gaze had been in. For some reason, her heart sank when he was nowhere to be seen. Before she could delve into this, Emily's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Who are you looking for?"

Kate blinked again, and shook her head. "Oh nothing, just enjoying the view of drunken horny idiots making a fool out of themselves," She lied as she pasted on a grin, still trying to calm down her pounding heart.

Sasha smirked knowingly, her brown eyes twinkling. "Liar, you were _totally_ looking for someone. Who is he? Do we know him?"

"And more importantly, is he hot?" Emily piped in.

"No, I'm not—" Kate began to protest, but Sasha interrupted her.

"_Omigod_, she's blushing! She totally likes someone!"

"Tell us who it is!" Emily prodded with an impish grin.

Kate glared at her friends, her face burning. "Shut up! I gotta go change, I'm freezing my ass off," She huffed as she grabbed her clothes and stormed off, her giggling friends following her through the crowds.

As much as she huffed and cursed her friends, Kate knew they were right – although she would rather shoot herself in the head than admit it aloud. She had indeed fallen for the man with the intense gaze, and _hard_. The words 'love at first sight' rose unheeded in her mind, and as much as she would like to scoff at its corniness, she could not deny that it was true.

Weaving through the crowds toward the nearest restroom, Kate wondered if she would see the man again, unaware of a certain, ex-Marine heading her way.


	2. Agonizing Attraction

**A/N:** Here's the second chapter. Hope you like. Reviews, favorites, and follows are welcomed and appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>

Agonizing Attraction

_By GallaudetLurker_

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><p>As he cupped his hands under the stream of running water and splashed it over his face, Jethro wondered what the hell had come over him. Not five minutes earlier, he'd been sitting at the bar, openly staring – hell, <em>ogling<em> – the mysterious brunette beauty in the soaked tank top.

Raising his dripping face to the mirror, he saw a brown-eyed man in his mid-thirties staring back at him, his bluish-gray eyes seemingly made intense by the restrooms' lights, droplets of waters running down his face not unlike these running down _her_—

His guts constricted as images of the half-naked and soaking wet woman surfaced in his mind. Resisting the temptation to give himself a particularly hard headslap that he was sure would actually knock himself out, Jethro put his hands under the faucet and splashed it on his still-wet face once again.

Turning the faucet off, Jethro grabbed several paper towels from a nearby dispenser and rubbed his face dry before crumpling them up and tossing them into the overflowed trash. They bounced off into the floor; he did not care.

Putting his hands on the sink counter, Jethro peered into the mirror, wondering how the hell had he, a battle-hardened ex-Marine who had fought, even gunned down many terrorists and enemy combatants with cool detachment as required of a sniper, become some _love-sick teenager_ who could not stop thinking about his first crush? And more importantly, why did she have this effect on him?

Over the past three years, and even before he first met Shannon, he'd met countless beautiful women of varying ages, forms, and shapes, during his travels – most of them redheads, of course – and aside from initial rush of lust and passion, he had never felt anything toward them the way he now felt toward that brunette.

What changed? What was it about this young woman that had so entranced him not five minutes before? Was it her beauty? Her mesmerizing dark eyes? Her joyful smile? Her dimples? Her exuberant youth?

Jethro tightened his jaw. The last part made him feel like a dirty old man. He wasn't supposed to feel that way toward her, especially when she was nearly half his age! He steadfastly refused to elaborate on other possible reasons behind his attraction, all of them relating to her curvaceous figure, her soaked attire (or the near lack of such), virtually exposed peaks that had him raging hard.

_Whap!_

Jethro let out a grunt as pain radiated from the back of his head where he had just given himself a particularly hard headslap. It somehow worked as a certain anatomy of his body that had begun to stiffen at the thoughts of the woman promptly went soft once again. He knew that this would not last for much longer if he kept on thinking about her.

He had to get the hell out of here, he thought grimly to himself, lest he be driven insane by the sheer amount of lust-driven sentimental thoughts that were clouding his mind, or be tempted to look around for that brunette and make a fool out of himself in the process. And not to mention, that damn music was beginning to give him a headache.

His guts coiled as if in protest, and part of his brain – the irrational one that was wrestling with the rational part – ached as if in protest. If they could speak, they would urge them to seek his mysterious beauty out and get to know her because he needed a second chance at love and that he shouldn't have to spend the rest of his life alone, slowly driving himself insane with tormenting thoughts of a family life that should have been. That kind of mushy sentimental shit that he normally never bothered with.

He'd get over this, he thought as he stared at his reflection, despite a sinking feeling inside his guts. He'd put foot after foot out of the crowded bar, inhale in the evening air, go back to his hotel, get some much-needed sleep, get up for work, go on with life, generally try to forget the mysterious brunette that had unwittingly captured his heart, and don't wallow on 'what-if' questions that he was sure would torment him for the rest of his life.

He could do it. After all, had he not been a Marine? If he could shut down the conscientious part of his brain long enough to squeeze the trigger of his sniper rifle to send a bullet careening right through the face of his unsuspecting victims, then why couldn't he do the same, shut down the irrational, love-sick part of his brain that was gushing, lusting, over his mysterious brunette?

Besides, he didn't really need love or relationships. It would only create problems and distractions that he did not need, especially since he was working in a fast-paced, highly-demanding, and perilous job that pretty much demanded his full attention. If he wanted love, his bottle of bourbon or black coffee, along with his woodworking equipment and the half-finished boat in his basement, was enough.

And not to mention, this brunette was nearly half his age. That was a damned good reason if any. The age difference was a gaping chasm that he could not leap across, even if he got a good running start. And besides, he was pretty sure that she would not want anything to do with some former Marine who had seen too much in life.

_Right?_

His guts wrenched again as if in disagreement. He ignored it.

Nodding at his reflection, and the reflection nodding back, Jethro pushed away from the sink and strode out of the restroom with a determined gait.

He could do it, Jethro thought determinedly as he pushed through the gyrating crowd in the general direction of the exit, where the evening air awaited to cleanse him of his invasive thoughts.

He felt someone collide into him. His reflexes, long honed in years of Marine service and on the battlefield, kicked in and he wrapped his arms around the person before they toppled to the hard floor. A battle-hardened ex-Marine he may be, he was not about to callously send somebody sprawling to the floor like that. If they did not deserve it, that is.

As he looked down at the person who had ran into him, his breath hitched, his momentary agitation and annoyance instantly fading away.

It was _her_.

Time seemed to slow down as his heart began to constrict in tandem with the wave of adrenaline that now coursed through his veins. His guts churned as if in triumph, and elation and dread simultaneously whirled in his mind.

As he gazed into her widened eyes, Jethro faintly noted that they were hazel, not brown as he'd thought. And despite the strong smell of alcohol, smoke, sweat, and other things he'd rather not delve into, that pervaded the bar, her scent wafted around him. Vanilla.

He swallowed, feeling his heart pounding in his ears. Vanilla had always been his favorite, and it used to drive him crazy when Shannon wore it. Just like it was doing the same to him right now, which is not helping matters at all, given the state of mind he now found himself in.

With the rational part of his brain frantically screaming for him to pull away and _get the hell out of here_, and the irrational, love-sick part of said brain exhorting him to stay right there and then, Jethro continued to gaze at the hazel-eyed brunette, his arms tingling all over as he continued to hold her around her waist and across her back. He knew that he should pull away now, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it at this moment, especially when she felt so nice and soft in his arms.

Oh God, she was so _soft_.

His eyes went down to her lips, these soft, pouty lips that he'd wanted to taste, and a particularly strong urge overcame him to do precisely that. It was so simple, all he had to do was lean in slightly, press his lips against hers, and enjoy the sensation. For some reason, he had this feeling that she wouldn't object to it.

_Whap!_

Snapping out of his whimsical thoughts after that mental headslap, Jethro looked up to her eyes. Mustering as much of his Marine resolve as he could, Jethro clenched his jaw as he steadied the young woman onto her feet, and ignoring the agonizing protests of his brain, heart, and guts, walked past her.

_Foot after foot_, he chanted to himself as he approached the exit, trying not to think about her captivating eyes, the way she felt in his arms, how badly he wanted to kiss her, how close he was to actually doing it.

Little did he know was that she was staring at his retreating back.

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><p>Gnashing her teeth, Kate tried to ignore the teasing of her so-called best friends as she focused on locating the nearest restroom. Her tank top stuck to her like a second skin, and once the excitement – among other things – in the wet T-shirt contest faded away, she found that she didn't like the sensation.<p>

"C'mon, Kate, you gotta tell us!"

"You can't keep us in the dark!"

"Methinks she'd like to get it on with him in the dark!"

"Ohh, can we join in?"

Bouts of giggling.

Kate felt her ire growing, in tandem with the blush that was creeping over her face as the handsome man with the intense gaze manifested in her mind. Her heartbeat sped up, and butterflies fluttered around furiously in her stomach as she thought about him.

She didn't know why she was feeling like this, especially toward a complete stranger that she has never met – and probably would never see again. Ignoring the sinking sensation in her stomach at the last part, Kate tried to figure out what it was about him that made him stand out in the entire bar.

It wasn't the first time she had been attracted to an older man, and not a few of them – some which are her college professors, not that she would consort with them, mind you – had brown hair, piercing eyes, and rugged features. Yet none of them had ever come _close_ to arousing such intense feelings inside her that this mysterious man did, and with such ease.

Why?

This is a question, a deceptively simple one, that Kate is sure would torment her for the rest of the day, her college days, and possibly the rest of her life.

A rational part of her brain lambasted her for being ridiculous, falling for a man for superficial reasons such as his looks, yet she had a nagging feeling that it ran deeper than that. She recalled that as she gazed deeply into his eyes, she felt something stir inside her heart and stomach, like...like a _connection_ of some sort.

There is something about him that not only made her want to kiss him to an inch of his life, but also to be simply..._be there_ at his side. It is not a feeling that appeared often, if at all, around men that she has been attracted to.

Ugh, she is beginning to get a headache, and the blaring music along with her friends' incessant giggles was not helping matters. Her drying tank top is beginning to stiffen, and she wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.

Preferably by the mysterious man as he lay on top of her on the bed, tenderly kissing her neck as she softly moaned out his name...

Kate felt herself blush fiercely, her skin crawling, her chest beginning to heave slightly from the sensations that coursed through her, a part of her tingling. She shook her head to try to clear the impure thoughts that were racing around her head, to little avail.

So engrossed in her thoughts, she ran into someone, the sheer force along with her surprise causing her to lose balance. A series of arms immediately encircled around her waist, keeping her from stumbling any further. Her heart thudding in her chest and adrenaline coursing through her, Kate let out a sigh of relief as she leaned into the person.

As she looked up at the person she has bumped into, her throat constricted, her heart thudded harder, her stomach flip-flopped, and nervousness washed over her.

It is _him_.

Intense blue eyes were gazing back at her, and Kate breathlessly thought to herself that she has never seen blue vibrate so intensely before in her life.

It is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.

Entranced by his captivating eyes, Kate faintly thought about the way he was holding her. His strong arms made her feel..._safe, protected, secure_, like nothing in the world could hurt her. It was unlike anything she felt before in her life. Her dates in the past had never made her feel like this – in hindsight, the way they held her felt strange and awkward, like puzzle pieces that don't fit together or a circle piece with a square hole, and she never thought much about them afterwards – and Kate found that she wanted to snuggle into his chest for the rest of her life and never leave.

He was so close, her chest all but squished against his, their faces inches apart. She wondered if he could hear, even feel, her thudding heart despite the pulsating music around them.

Her breath hitched in her throat as his eyes drifted down to her mouth, and she subconsciously licked her lips as if in anticipation. If he leant closer...she would absolutely have no objections, _at all_. Time seemed to stretch forever as she anxiously waited for him to do what she was hoping he would do.

Instead, he blinked, clenched his jaw, and removed his arms from her.

Kate's mind all but screamed out in agony, disappointment coursing through her. She was filled with a strong urge to grab his hands and put them on her once again—wait, that sounded _wrong_. His blue eyes were now swimming with a myriad of emotions that she couldn't discern at this moment.

Before she could think on it any further, he wordlessly moved past her, and she found herself turning around to stare at his retreating back. Her mouth opened as if to call out to him, but no word come out.

She didn't know his name.

She could only watch on helplessly as he faded seamlessly into the crowd, a strange, heavy sensation in her chest.

Although she had seen him for a very short time, and didn't know his name, Kate found that she _missed_ him, as strange as it was.

"Well, well, I think we just found who you were looking for," A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and Kate turned around to see Sasha and Emily grinning widely at her. She stifled a groan.

"Guys, it's not what—" She opened her mouth to protest.

"He's hot!" Emily practically gushed, cutting her off.

"A well-built man with a figure like that..._phew_. And his eyes! Oh my God, I wouldn't be surprised if they alone could blow your panties off!" Sasha mimicked fanning her face with her hand.

Kate's face felt like it is burning. "Guys! I wasn't looking at him or anything like that, he just caught me off-guard." As soon the last words passed her lips, she wanted to take them back, as she saw the glints in Sasha and Emily's eyes.

"Caught you off guard, indeed," Emily smirked.

"I wouldn't mind a man like that catching me in his arms," Sasha mused.

Kate huffed as she stormed past them toward the restroom.

"C'mon, it's not a _bad_ thing!" Sasha called out as she followed her friend through the crowd.

"Not if you're teasing me like that," Kate growled.

"Only because we love you!" Emily said, and Sasha giggled. "Even although we would love you even more if you tell us your secrets!"

"I'm sure there are some 'secrets' that Kate'd like to share with him," Sasha said to Emily, smirking.

Kate's face was now combusting. "Shut up. Just shut up," she growled as she practically ran into the ladies' restroom.


	3. Bar Talk

**A/N:** Here's the third chapter of _From Panama with Love_. Hope you enjoy. Reviews, favorites, and follows are welcomed and appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS.

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><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong>

Bar Talk

_By GallaudetLurker_

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><p>Two days later, Jethro found himself at the bar in the Blue Tavern, sitting at the same seat as last time, and clutching a cold bottle of beer instead of his usual whiskey. As he smiled politely at the flirtatious barmaid who kept batting her eyes and flashing her cleavage, Jethro wondered what he'd been thinking, coming here.<p>

It was a Monday afternoon. Unlike the past weekend, the bar was fairly tranquil and cool, a welcome change from the raucous, sweltering cauldron that it had been previously. The PA loudspeaker was playing some soft music that he couldn't find it within himself to identify, much less listen.

After leaving the bar that Saturday night, Jethro had taken several deep breaths to clear his mind and bring his uncharacteristically roiling emotions under control. Once he managed to do so, he went back to his hotel, and turned in early for the first time in years. When he woke up in the morning, he found himself sporting a particularly painful morning wood, and after a cold shower to alleviate his problem, he'd began remembering the dreams he'd had. All of them which involved a _certain_ brunette he'd seen the night before.

Which he didn't need at this time, at all. He had outgrown that when he went into the Marines long time ago. Apparently not.

Gnashing his teeth, Jethro went to work on a joint case with Junior FBI Agent and friend Thomas "Tobias" Fornell to get his mind off the brunette, and it worked. For the rest of that day, and the next, he was able to keep his thoughts of the brunette at bay.

However, it all came flooding right back, threatening to overcome the metaphorical dam he'd erected in his mind, when Tobias suggested that they spend the night out and chose the Blue Tavern of all things. He should've protested and suggested another venue, yet his damn mind had to go all sentimental on him and he wordlessly went into the bar with his friend.

After a round of whiskey and beer, Tobias had excused himself and went to the restroom, and so Jethro was left to his thoughts, which inevitably turned to the brunette that he couldn't stop thinking about, no matter how hard he tried. He'd wondered if something was wrong with him when he found that he wasn't as aroused by the curvaceous barmaids as before.

As he took a swig of his beer, Jethro instinctively turned his head to look at the front area where the wet T-shirt contest was held, where he'd seen the brunette for the first time—

Jethro let out a groan as he snapped his head back to his beer. This was getting to be annoying, acting and hoping like some lovesick teenager that the brunette was going to be there.

Fat chance.

His bluish-gray eyes connected with the blue orbs of the red-headed barmaid, who gave him a flirty smile and winked. There was yet another indication that something was seriously wrong with him when he felt little feelings of arousal – and redheads were his particular favorite, especially since they had easily aroused him with as much as a wink.

He was being ridiculous, he told himself grimly as he took another, longer swig of his beer and slammed it on the counter.

"Okay, what gives?"

Jethro blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and turned to Tobias, who had returned to his seat next to him, quirking an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

"Huh?"

"Something has been bothering you all day, Jethro," Tobias said matter-of-factly as he raised his beer to his mouth and sipped it. Jethro gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder, even although his gut clenched as if in agreement with his friend's statement. Not that he would voice that aloud, of course.

"Got a lot on my mind, Tobias," he said simply. It technically wasn't a lie, given that he did have a lot on his mind, even if it was centered upon that of a single, certain young hazel-eyed woman.

Tobias smirked. "Do _tell_, Jethro."

One end of Jethro's lips twitched into a lopsided smile. "Work," he said as simply, tilting his head slightly. This time, it was an outright lie.

Tobias gave him a disbelieving look and let out a chuckle. "That, I find hard to believe. You forget, I've worked with you a few times, and you have never been bothered about your work as much as you are right now. And not to mention, you're pretty much ignoring all the pretty women who've been hitting on you all day. There's something else there, isn't it?"

Jethro sipped his beer, enjoying the bitter sensation going down his throat, as he mulled over his next words.

"If by 'something else' you mean my work, then yeah," Jethro replied cryptically, eliciting a snort from Tobias.

"When you're evading my questions like that, that's when I know that something's definitely off," Tobias said with a smirk as he looked at Jethro. "So, who's the lucky lady?" He asked casually as he drank his beer.

Jethro blinked as his heart gave a brief lurch at the thought of the hazel-eyed brunette that passed his mind, and turned to his friend. "What makes you think that I'm thinking about that?"

"Are you?" Tobias inquired, his dark eyes searching his bluish-gray orbs, silently daring him to lie.

"What do ya think?" Jethro said, inwardly wincing at how he sounded, and looked down at his nearly-empty beer that he held in his hands.

Tobias grinned. "Someone definitely caught your eye, that's what I think," he said knowingly. "And now you're trying to deal with it in your own way. Which never work out, by the way. I've seen it before with Shannon."

Jethro grew somber as he thought of his deceased wife and daughter. Shannon and Kelly. His twin lights in his life. Not a day passed over the past three years that he didn't think of them, that he didn't mourn their passing, that he didn't wish he came to a lively house full of laughter instead of the silent, forlorn one that he would be coming back to after this trip was over.

Seemingly sensing the change in his friend's mood, Tobias patted Jethro on the back, his face sympathetic, his eyes holding a hint of regret for bringing Shannon up like that. Knowing well about his friends' attitude on apologies, however, Tobias opted to say something else.

"Jethro...everyone deserves a second chance."

Despite himself, Jethro's lips curled up in a smirk. "Did you get that from a fortune cookie?"

Tobias gave him a mock glare, although his eyes was full of mirth. "I'll let you know that it was a very delicious cookie."

"I'm sure, considering all the possible places you got it from," Jethro laughed, feeling his somber mood lift a little as he drained the rest of his beer and set it down on the countertop.

"I'm serious, though. Everyone deserves a second chance, and that includes you." Tobias said seriously after a momentary pause. "If this mystery lady is the second chance, you should go for it."

Jethro exhaled out a sigh. "You're still on that?" He asked exasperatedly.

Tobias grinned cheekily. "Of course! Friends gotta look out for each other, after all."

Jethro rolled his eyes. "Some friend you are," he muttered, prompting Tobias to laugh and slap him on the back.

"So, this red-head lady, she—"

"Brunette," Jethro blurted out before he even knew what he was doing, and he mentally gave himself a particularly hard head-slap, several times over. Never before in his life had he wished for the floor to open up and swallow him whole as he was right now, if the expression on his friend's face was any indication.

Tobias looked like both his birthday and Christmas had come early this year, and that he'd won a multi-million lottery with a cheerleading team and a pot of leprechaun gold on top. "Brunette?" He said, intrigued as a wide grin came across his gaunt face.

"So our little Jethro finally moved on to brunettes," Tobias said proudly as he put his arm around Jethro's shoulder. "And about damn time, too."

Jethro let out a groan as he shook Tobias' arm off. "It's not that—"

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" Tobias cut him off. "You've been so focused on redheads – not that there's anything wrong with them, of course – that you've missed out so much with all the brunettes and blondes out there who would've been willing to spread their legs for you!"

Jethro closed his eyes in exasperation, as he fought to stop his diabolical mind from conjuring the brunette laying on a hotel bed, her waiting legs spread—

"_Tobias!_" He growled, pinning the 'Glare' on his friend, who looked completely unaffected.

"What? I'm just stating the facts," Tobias said innocently with a shrug of his shoulders. Jethro mumbled something about getting new friends.

"The hell you are," he grumbled as he asked the barmaid for another bottle of beer. With a giggle, she acquiesced and got him the beer, her curvaceous hips swaying seductively the entire time.

"See, that's what I was talking about," Tobias pointed out. Jethro blinked and raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. "What?"

"That barmaid practically eye-fucked you as she gave you that beer, and you pretty much ignored her. You must've got it bad for that mystery lady of yours."

Jethro wisely chose not to reply to that as he popped open his bottle and took a particularly long swig.

This was going to be a long evening.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm still not satisfied with how this turned out, but hope you like. Once again, reviews, favorites, and follows are welcomed and appreciated.


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